


Verse One

by TheWorldIsYou13



Series: The 'Run' Collection [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Comfort/Angst, F/M, Nightmares, Post-Episode: s02e09 The Satan Pit, Running, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 22:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13534005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWorldIsYou13/pseuds/TheWorldIsYou13
Summary: ...but he is restless at night cause he has horrible dreams...





	Verse One

**Author's Note:**

> A few things to start with:  
> \- First off, I want to thank anyone who has commented on any of my stories recently. I know I haven't replied like I usually would, but I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to. Honestly, I love reading your comments and I always like to try and say thank you. So thank you! Thank you so much!  
> \- Secondly, I am trying to work on Back to Our Reality, but have reached a sticky point where I'm realising I've missed certain things and need to rework things to get them in. What I really need to do is sit down and plan from chapter 13 onwards properly, which, I think, is going to take some time.  
> \- Thirdly, lectures start on Monday and I'm determined to do better this term than I did last term. So God knows what that'll mean for my already dire updating schedule.
> 
> Right, now on this this. I've been meaning to do this for a while. It's going to be a collection of fics inspired by one song. Each fic will focus on a different verse of the song and I will be doing each verse (or part of verse possibly) individually. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. NOTHING YOU RECOGNISE BELONGS TO ME. NO MONEY IS BEING MADE FROM THIS. IT IS PURELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. 
> 
> Song: 'Run' by Daughter (link posted in end notes)

Verse One

 _and if I try to get close_  
_he is already gone_  
_don’t know where he’s going_  
_don’t where he’s been_  
_but he is restless at night_  
_‘cause he has horrible dreams_  
\- 'Run' - Daughter (2012)

* * *

 

Running. They never stopped. And since Krop Tor they had been running further and faster than they ever had before. There had been hardly any down time; always running to the next great adventure. Hardly any time to stop running and just look. It was like they were running from something. Before, it had felt as though they were running towards things, the Doctor always saying that he never wanted to miss the next big thing. But now, there was something new in the air; something different; something looming.

Rose knew that what the Beast had told him on Krop Tor had gotten under his skin. He was even more distant now than he usually was. Oh, sure, they had been getting a lot closer recently, but since then, it seemed as though the Doctor was determined to keep his distance from her, especially any time she would breach the subject of what had happened on that impossible planet. She wanted to talk to him about it, knowing that allowing him to speak might help, but he just brushed her off and off they went, back into the unknown. Always running.

On the rear occasions that particularly he would rest, Rose often wondered where it is he went. She wanted to know because she was concerned and desperate to know if he was alright, that when he slept, he was getting the rest he needed. Considering he would be impossible to find once he had vanished into the depths of the Time Ship, she suspected that the answer to that was no.

Silently she would beg the TARDIS to tell her where he was, hoping that he connection with the ship would be enough for her to trust her with the knowledge of the Doctor’s whereabouts. But the ship never felt like sharing. It sometimes led Rose to wonder whether or not the TARDIS herself knew where the Doctor went during these hours. She wondered if the Doctor had managed to hide himself from his own ship. Knowing what he was capable of, Rose wouldn’t half be surprised to find that to be the case.

But one night, the TARDIS seemed to answer her wish. She almost wished she hadn’t.

As Rose walked down the corridors towards her own room, she could hear the soft whimpers of the Doctor, coming from the room opposite her own. She had often noticed the door, but had always found it to be locked, sometimes wondering what was behind the door, but never asking all the same. The whimpers continued, and Rose felt her heart ache at the sound. There was no way she was going to bed without making sure that the Doctor was alright. After all, in the couple of years that she had been with him, there had been a number of occasions in which he had comforted her at night. It was about time she returned the favour.

As she opened the door, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but almost immediately she noticed the curled-up figure of the Doctor in the bed in front of her, sheets tangled around his body. The closer she moved towards him, the more she was able to see that he was shaking, unconsciously trying to hold back the sobs that threatened to consume him.

Rose knelt down by his bed and gently placed a hand on his cheek. His skin was clammy and warmer than usual, and she could feel the remnants of tears already fallen. He looked broken. Whatever it was he was dreaming about, it was affecting him badly. She knew he still had nightmares about the Time War, that was of no secret, but something told her that this was a little something more than memories of the past.

“Doctor,” she whispered gently, not wanting to startle him. “Doctor, wake up.”

He didn’t seem to hear her, however, but obviously felt her presence as he seemed to move towards her, seeking the warmth from her hand in his unconscious state.

“Doctor, come on, you need to wake up now.” His shaking started to cease and his breathing, which had been fairly erratic before, had started to even out. He didn’t open his eyes though, and Rose wondered if he had fallen into a more peaceful sleep.

Figuring he wasn’t going to wake and was now calm, Rose gently stroked his sweat-matted hair gently and pressed a kiss to his forehead, before slowly starting to stand up in order to leave him be. He was calmer now, and regardless of how much she would rather stay with him, Rose knew it was best to let him sleep. However, she hadn’t quite stood up properly when she heard a faint voice.

“Don’t go.”

Bending back down, Rose looked at him. He was still tightly curled up on the bed, but she could just make out one open eye looking up at her, pleadingly. It was a look she had never seen before in his eyes and it broke her heart to know how much the Doctor had been shaken by this.

Unable to say or do anything else, Rose just nodded and slipped into the bed where the Doctor had made space for her.

As she settled down, the Doctor had managed to straighten out his sheets without all that much movement. She rolled over to face him. He was still curled up somewhat and his eyes never once met hers. He seemed to want to keep his distance and yet craved closeness; he seemed torn. But more than anything, he just seemed broken and tired.

“You okay?” Rose asked, trying to get him to look at her. He said nothing, but gave a small nod of his head. Trust him, at his most vulnerable, to still try and tell her that he was alright.

“You wanna talk about it?” He shook his head and Rose figured that would be the case. Of course, she wanted to know what he had been thinking about, but she wasn’t going to force him to talk if he didn’t want to. Allowing her to stay with him at a time like this was properly as far as he was willing to take this, and she was okay with that. She may not know exactly what had been going on in his head, though she suspected that it was something to do with the Beast and Krop Tor, but at least he was letting her comfort him through it. Right now, that was enough.

“Alright,” she told him. “But if you want to talk, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” She kissed his forehead and rolled onto her back, allowing the Doctor to curl up beside her, tentatively resting his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arm around her waist. His hold wasn’t tight enough to prevent her from moving completely, but it was tight enough for Rose to realise that the Doctor had no intention of letting go of her anytime soon.

“Goodnight, Doctor,” she whispered into his hair before wrapping her own arm around his shoulders and closing her eyes.

Tomorrow it would be like this had never happened and they would be off running towards the next great adventure. She knew that. They were always running. Hardly ever stopping. But wherever they ran, at least they would always have each other to fall back on and to comfort when things got bad.

For the moment anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Run - Daughter  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psiILfa-G1c


End file.
